Weather delays sleeves-up policy for DC-area Marines

Marines in the Washington , D.C. metropolitan area are delaying their annual transition of rolling their uniform sleeves to rolled sleeves by several weeks due to unseasonably cold weather in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The area What is otherwise known as the National Capital Region experienced single-digit temperatures and its worst snowstorm of the year Thursday, shuttering installations from the Pentagon to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. That has and prompted leaders there opting to keep Marines' sleeves down until April 1, despite switching to desert combat utility Marine Corps Combat Utility uniforms on Monday.

The switch to and from woodland to desert camouflage with sleeves down typically coincides with the change to daylight savings time, but local commanders have discretion to delay the switch contingent on regional weather conditions. The Marine administrative message that governs seasonal uniform changes states that such deviations will be temporary and will apply uniformly across the command. "In recognition of the possibility of temperature extremes within the first few weeks after changing to/from DST, commanders may direct a deviation to the MCCUU sleeves up/down policy as climatic conditions warrant. Such deviations will be temporary and apply uniformly across the command," reads all Marine message 007/08 which governs seasonal uniform changes."Obviously bBecause of the recently cold weather, we've chosen to delay going sleeves up," said Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon.

Most commands made the switch to desert uniforms with sleeves up on schedule because they are located in temperate states like California, North Carolina, Hawaii and Japan, said Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon. However, a A few smaller units located in other cold areas may also have delayed the switch, but, it is difficult to say where.

Come April, Marines in the National Capital Region will finally join the rest of the Corps in bearing their arms. Or — as the saying goes — adopting the "sun's out, guns out" policy.